Written For:

The Golden Snitch: Swear Jar - Dudley Dursley/12 Grimmauld Place

Hogwarts Houses Competition: Round 10 - Gryffindor/Drabble/Character: Dudley Dursley

Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges

One Prompt: "you thought you knew me, but you were wrong"

Fill the Cup: Friendship

St Mungo's: Magical Bugs and Diseases

Hogwarts Assignments: Princess Month - Elena of Avalor: Reconnecting with family

Word Count: 564


"So this is your house."

It wasn't a question. To Dudley, the talking portraits and the floating candles and the strange imp meant that of course he was standing in Harry's house.

"Yeah." Harry tried to smile, but all he managed was a slight twitching of the lips. He looked good, Dudley realized. While the young man was still skinny, he was far from malnourished, and the strange suit he was wearing - robes - was made from a soft crimson silk. "Well. Come in, I suppose."

It was pouring outside and Dudley was only wearing a light sweater, yet he had no desire to move. But he picked up his right boot, and then his left, and suddenly he was standing in the doorway.

He had come this far, after all. And he had no idea how far Harry must have come to invite him here. "Thanks, Harry. For the invite, I mean."

"It's no problem." Harry pushed the door closed. "Kreacher, some tea please!"

The strange elf-imp-dwarf-being bowed and dashed away. Dudley eyed the floating candles nervously, hoping they wouldn't fall on him. Unbidden, the word freak floated to his mind…

No.

He was Dudley Evans. He worked with underprivileged children. He had a girlfriend and was getting a college degree. Dudley Dursley, the spoiled bully with self-esteem problems was gone. Yet he felt as far from himself as ever. It was as if he was Dudley Dursley again, plopped right into Dudley Evans's body.

"I'm glad you're doing well." And Dudley meant it. Harry just nodded. However awkward this is for you, Dudders, this is worse for Harry.

"I changed my name to Evans. Uh. Mum's name, I mean. Not because of Dad. Well, it was because of Dad. But Dad's okay with it. They're going to therapy. I mean, they went once. Once we all went to therapy. But I stopped going a few months ago. It was really helpful at first. Then I realized that at some point I just needed to do this. I just needed to see you...I mean...okay I'm sorry I'm talking so much. But I mean to say sorry. I mean I'm really sorry. I mean at first I was a kid too and I didn't understand but I don't want you to excuse me because then I did know everything going on, and it was slow at first, but I realized that it was messed up, and I didn't do anything, and that summer about Cedric and everything I was really disturbed and I knew something was wrong and I should have told someone and I wanted to help but it was easier to pretend nothing was wrong and so I asked Miss Figg and she said you lived here and I just wanted you to know, you thought you knew me but you were wrong, and I'm not totally horrible, but I was, and I wanted to see you…"

Something flickered in Harry's eyes. His scar still was as visible as ever, Dudley realized. And it was accompanied by others - smaller, less prominent, but still there.

Harry was doing well. But he was recovering from more than Dudley knew. Maybe more than he would ever know. Shadows of tears filled Harry's eyes, but Dudley knew would never shed them. Not there, anyway.

And in that moment Dudley realized that he himself was crying.